The Irish standard., 1887-10-08
NERVOUS NEW WORKERS.
A Study of the Proverb1al Restlessnass {
Gotha1u,a 8usineas men.

NERVOUS NEW WORKERS.
A Study of the ProverbIal Restlessness O
Gotha1ns Business men.
Wall street is the center of New
York's nervousness. Watch the men
who frequent it and you will see that
they rush down the thoroughfare as i.
pursued by some body. Jay Gould
and even staid old Russell Sage step
along with a springy gait, outwalkins
the messenger boys, who are about the
only deliberate persons seen on the
street. On the Stock Exchange every
man is constantly on the move and il
is this desire for perpetual action
which leads members to snatch of
each others hats and engage in all
manner Of horse play, such as stuffing
bits Of paper down each others backs
and similar movements Of an undigni-
fed nature.
The typical old keeper of a hotel
used to be a man Of slow movements
and great deliberation, but there is in
New York but one OF this Old school
and he, is Landlord Ashnan, of the
Sinclair House. Frank Allen, of the
Astor House; Edward Vc1nan, of the
Morton House and Edward Stokes, Of
the Hoffman House, are examples of
the res less modern landlord. Mr.
Stokes is perhaps the most nervous
man in New York. There is a legend
to the effect that he is never known to
sit still for more than five minutes at u
time Next to him III the line OF nerv-
BUSINESS is a buyer for Sweetzer, Penn
broke & Go. The salesman who sells
him a bill Of goods must follow him as
he PAGES the floor or perhaps pursue
him upstairs into the upper story de-
partments Of the house.
The Vanderbilt boys, with the ex-
ception OF the poetic George, are early
risers, rapid walkers and nervous in
thei: movements. Chauncoy NJ. Depew
ruslles into his office like a hurricane
early i'll the morning, and is constantly
on the move until lie goes home in the
evening 60 into any Of the resorts
where prominent New Yor!iers take
their lunclleons and vou vii! bc at once
impressed with the fact Of their nel-
vous temperament The brothers Of
Robert Bonner take t'leir iIidday meal
daily at the Astor House Tie moment
they drop into their seats 81 we'll
trained waiter rushes out to the cary
in!gt;ble and orders their luncheon,
with the supplementary remark: "It
is for the Messrs. Bonner, hurry it upr
Robert Bonner himself is q man Of
slow movement rs compared with
other New York editors Stick.a pin
i'll him and he would probably turn
about with the calmness peculiar TO
the Old school Of New Workers and ask
what you meant. Try the same ex-
pertinent with James Gordon Bennett
and he would wheel about and offer
to give you battle on the spot. Resort
to the same artitice with Joseph Pulit-
yer and he would spring up with rage
turn upon you and probably knock you
out i'll a jitfy. He is the most nervous
of av New York journalists and walks
rapidly, with his broad shoulders
thrown we'll back.
The best field for the study Of the
proyerbial nervousness of New York is
Broadway. Watch a stranger attempt
to cross the tloroughfare, and you will
see him hesitate, wait a long time, and
finally try to cross the crowded street
with his accustomed deliberate gait.
a New Yorker, on the other hand,
makes q dive into the surging process
sion OF vehicles, darts almost under the
feet Of an up-going team, dashes in
front Of q dow,l-bound Cal. escapes be-
ing run ovel' by % hairs breadth, and
is across in Il jiffy. Observe the drivers
Of trucks and street-cars on Broadway
and you will see that they are affected
with the same restless spirit. Gener-
ally speaking it is impossible to accel-
crate the tide of travel on crowded
Broadway street, but the 5ruck drivers
yell at drivers ahead Of them, ,1rge
them to hurry on, and curse in man
ner that would fill the heart Of canal
boatman with envy. The street-car
drivers keep shrill whistles in their
and blow them with con-
slant screech Of warming to drivers
ahead of them to hurry up
All this intense nervousness seems to
have affected the reflective literary men
of the metropolis, and you will scarcely
find one who is not spare ill build and
restless in movement. This was par
icularly noticeable at the reception
some weeks ago to Walt Whitman, at
which the only perfectly composed and
:estf1l parsonage WAS Walt Whitman
himself. Amos IT, Cummings. in Rhistg-
2eipAiN C0Ll.